Mikal Bridgesfaced increased scrutiny from the outside Nix fans during his first two years in New York because of the price the team paid (five first-round picks) to acquire him from Brooklyn in the 2024 offseason. While Bridges’ critics were silenced when the Knicks won the championship in June, and “damn them picks” became a rallying cry among many of those same fans, the veteran forward isn’t sure the debate over his value has been put to rest forever, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
“I don’t know” Bridges said. “I’m not sure about that. I can just say that I appreciate the fans. When I see them when I’m walking my dog or something like that, there’s just a lot of good things to say. It’s more like a human interaction, first of all, it’s just really nice and grateful to be in that position. I don’t need to feel like there’s validation and there’s like, ‘OK, now he can…’ No, I hold myself accountable all the time.”
According to Bridges, even before winning the title last season, he held no grudge against critics who questioned whether the Knicks should have given up such a large trade package to get him. He insists that the scrutiny and pressure that came with it helped motivate him.
“That’s what I love about this organization and the fans, even though some of them might be a little crazier than others, they want the best for you.” – he said. “I never take it for granted. I talk to myself a lot when I’m going through a lot of things, and I have people who help me too, but the one thing I take from it is that they get the best out of me. When I’m struggling and I know I need to be better, sometimes I can’t hide from it – even though I know deep down, people let me know too. No matter how disappointed you are about it, the only thing that makes me and I keep trying to get better, I always appreciate that.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- Coach Knicks Mike Brown he didn’t like what he saw in training on Wednesday and issued a stern warning to the reserve team players according to Schwartz. “I specifically went to the conversation jalen (branson)Mikal, And (Anunoby)CAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) and Josh (Hart)“, Brown told reporters about it. “I said, ‘These five, they’re going to play.’ If they do something wrong, I’m going to get on them and we’re going to figure it out, but they’re still going to play. I said, “Everybody else in this gym, you fight. You’re either fighting to make the team or you’re fighting for minutes.” I said, “Look around.” It’s not just because we won last year. It has nothing to do with last year’s team. These five guys are the same. But everyone is a new year, a new team. We must look forward. Every day is a competition.”
- In a subscriber-only story about what he learned about the Knicks in training camp, Stefan Bondi of The New York Post expresses confidence that the team will eventually stick with center as their 14th man, meaning the battle for the final roster spot will come down to James Wiseman against Tony Bradley against Drew Eubanks — unless the front office makes a trade to open up more room under the second tax apron.
- James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic are also counting on one of those three centers to be the Knicks’ 14th player, but they disagree on which one is the favorite. Katz gives Eubanks the edge, while Edwards believes either Wiseman or Bradley will make the team. The Athletic duo also picked potential X-factors for the season, with Edwards picking the veteran winger Landry Shamet and Katz selects a backup point guard Tyler Kolek.
- Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson looking forward to seeing ex Nick Mitchell Robinson and Celtics in Boston on October 23. In addition to meeting his old friend, Clarkson wants to get the best from Robinson on the court, he wrote Christian Winfield of The New York Daily News. “I hope he does great things in Boston,” Clarkson said Wednesday. “But if we see him, we’ve got to yell his ass. But that’s my dog, man. I love that dude forever.”
